


Let's Be 'Ugly' Together

by ReadWriteFangirl (orphan_account)



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, future!world AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-26 08:24:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6231367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ReadWriteFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On your 18th birthday, you become Pretty. Aubrey still has three weeks to go and is feeling the stretch with her distant friends in an entirely different city to her and Aubrey's parents awaiting her to join their empire. But Aubrey meets Stacie, the Ugly determined not to change, and she's given a choice when Stacie goes a-wall.</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Stay Ugly or turn Stacie in.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Let's Be 'Ugly' Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Knappster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Knappster/gifts), [backinthebox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/backinthebox/gifts).



> I am a hardcore Staubrey shipper, honestly, and I knew I had to do something for Staubrey since I am utter trash for them.

As Aubrey stared out of her bedroom window, all she could think about was the loneliness threatening to eat her from the inside out. The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky the colour of salmon. Under any other circumstances, Aubrey would find this sunset beautiful, the pinks and purples blending together effortlessly, just like pencil in her sketchbook, but this summer it felt different, it _was_ different.

Because Chloe had already left her alone.

Chloe was already pretty.

Aubrey was practically counting away the days until she saw her best friend again, the two months and seventeen days too many to handle – losing your best friend fucking sucks under any circumstances – as she sat waiting to see the final lights on the other side of the dingy river to fade to black.

But that rarely happened as the new Pretties spent their nights partying and prancing around in their perfect bodies and perfect faces. The area dubbed 'New Life' was clearly visible through Aubrey's window, party boats on the crystal rivers, happiness set in clouds as they travelled across to their side of the river.

She sighed, choosing to close her window as she took in the city behind her. Everyone not pretty would be asleep now, Uglies like her.

Carefully, she unclipped the necklace around her neck, "Good night."

"Sleep well, Aubrey." Came the monotone reply from the room. It was a long shot, she knew, as she slipped the heat pad under the covers – the small device exerting the same heat as Aubrey would had she been between the coarse sheets and scratchy duvet. She tossed a toothpaste pill into her mouth and chew it several times before spitting it into the trash can.

She and Chloe had mastered tricking the interface when they were eleven, deciding to instead go down to the river's edge and exchange jokes and promises about their lives together when they were pretty, a time when their small age difference simply meant nothing to them.

She dropped through the window, quickly following the path down to the water's edge. Summer had always been their best time for spying expeditions – there wasn't a cold tinge in the air and they wouldn't have to stay up through school the following day.

Of course, school was no longer a worry for Chloe, she was eighteen.

The old bride over the water ha always been her favourite, it was silent. No way of reporting trespassers, no way of giving her and Chloe up during their younger expeditions. She was certain that once the rest of the city had crumbled, that bridge would remain, stories untold of the people like her and Chloe, trying to work out their place in the world. Once, when they were crawling along the rope to the other side, the branch holding it in place had snapped, sending them both flying into the cold water, laughing hysterically. Aubrey would much rather be on that expedition, soaking wet, than on this one now. Alone.

Without her interface necklace, Aubrey was 100% invisible to vehicles – they'd just run her down. Looking around after she'd dismounted the rope, she glanced around, trying to visualise the map she'd seen of New Life, trying to work out where Chloe's new home was in relation to the mess of the party scene of New Life.

Her best friend had sent her one message, one small written piece about her new life – then _nothing_. Of course, come to think of it, Aubrey herself was nothing in this city, away from Ugly Ville. She still hoped Chloe would see past her still-ugly exterior, look to their time together, their lives before Chloe became 18.

Hell, Aubrey had no clue what the hell would happen if she was caught. Unlike "forgetting" her interface necklace, this was serious business. She and Chloe had never been caught, no one had.

As she crept beneath trees through one of the large gardens, flowers blooming in the summer heat, she noticed a couple strolling along the path, eyes staring at one another, hands interlocked in love. Her fingers instinctively moved through her hair, naturally straight and lifeless – no matter how many times she's tried to use pencils to give it more volume – lips thin and teeth slightly too big for her own mouth, nose ever so slightly crooked and forehead too high.

What the hell was she even doing here? She should've just waited her turn, found a friend and waited to reunite with everyone – Chloe, Beca, and her parents.

A party machine trundled down the road as she approached the road, spewing out colourful masks as it moved along the sidewalk. Once it had reached a few blocks further, partying revellers singing behind it, she reached out and grabbed a mask, pressing it against her face as the smart adhesive anchored it. It was still warm against her cheeks, having only been pressed into shape moments later.

Aubrey swallowed before she ran off down an alleyway, Bell Mansion set in her sights.

It was right between two party towers, and Aubrey could see the older pretties' homes in New Life miles beyond it, skyscrapers and apartment blocks reminiscent of the world in the early 2000s, when you had to work for these benefits. She could see the 'P' in the distance; the one sign that she was almost home.

She quickly pushed past two pretties on their way out of the mansion, the duo looking taken aback at her pig mask.

"Hey look, there's a piggy!"

She immediately tried to push from room to room. It was like the only rules in this house were: Act Loud, Get Drunk, Be A Bitch and Dress Up. Seriously, the number of ball gowns and tuxedos were beginning to drive Aubrey nuts. But she noticed that not all the pretties looked the same, like they'd guessed in the past, they were different, like old Hollywood stars if you'd been born 200 years ago, people you'd grow up admiring and wishing you looked like.

But Chloe couldn't have changed _that_ much, honestly.

"Have you seen the piggy?"

"How dare she come like that, this is white tie!"

Aubrey began to run up the staircase, oak beneath her battered boots bringing a foreign sound to her ears. The stairs were empty, pretties obviously preferring elevators, this allowed her to stop and take a breath – the mask was no better than her own face, a joke quickly beginning to wear thin.

Suddenly, a group of pretties emerged from a room. "Here piggy, piggy."

"Fuck." Aubrey cussed under her breath as she made her way for the next floor, her feet moving quickly as she glanced behind her back – they were following her. She slid into an elevator, pulling herself close to the wall. "Close door." Nothing happened. Without her interface necklace she was nothing.

"Crap, did you not know this is white tie?" Aubrey looked up from the floor, seeing a redhead and slightly smaller brunette, both female, as well as a brunette man. "I can lend you something…"

"Chloe?"

Chloe squinted, looking at the mask. "Do I know…"

"Here, piggy, piggy."

Aubrey went to reach out, immediately pulling herself back against the elevator wall. "It's me, Chlo, it's me."

"Piggy!"

Chloe raised an eyebrow at the voice down the hallway, before looking to the two brunettes. "Close door, hold." Aubrey immediately fell onto her hands and knees, the adhesive of her mask finally giving way, exposing her face. "Jesus Christ."

She looked up, that was definitely Chloe. They'd kept her with her fiery hair, her blue eyes that were gorgeous anyway, she was still the same Chloe.

"It's me." Aubrey finally mumbled as she stood up, taking in the two pretties beside Chloe. One had a pair of headphones draped around her neck, _nice_ headphones, not the crap ones you got in Ugly Ville. The man had a midnight blue tux on, his eyes warm and hazel. "Beca? Jesse?" They were so different, entirely different people.

She reached out to engulf them in a hug, stopping when they stepped away. Chloe's dress was silver, embellishments running down long sleeves and the floor-length gown. "Sorry, I won't get you muddy."

Jesse pinched the bridge of his nose, "what are you doing here, Aubrey?"

"I just…" Aubrey spluttered. Looking at them was so different to how she'd envisioned it. "Why didn't you write to me?"

Chloe sighed quietly, "why couldn't you have just waited, Teeth?" Aubrey's ugly nickname sounded so different coming from a pretty, with perfect teeth and a stunning smile. When Aubrey didn't reply, Chloe shrugged. "It felt shit, honestly, bragging about all of this. I'm a different person now."

"But we're…" Aubrey held out her hand, the small scar one they'd all shared months prior.

"Take a look, Aubrey." Beca said gently, holding out her own hand as Jesse and Chloe quickly followed suit. The scar was nowhere to be seen, their skin instead soft and perfect. "They took them away."

"New skin, big deal." Chloe smiled softly, her smile so beautiful and perfect. "In three months we can laugh about this, Teeth, I swear. Just promise us no more stupid tricks, we want to see you pretty."

"Elevator, down." Jesse requested as Beca passed the mask back to Aubrey, who pressed it back onto her face.

* * *

There were wardens littering the park as Aubrey knelt below the trees; they were serious about finding someone, probably her since her pig mask had auto-recycled. She almost screeched when a body landed in front of her.

"Shut up." A hand flew up and covered Aubrey's mouth.

"I'm sorry." Aubrey almost whimpered.

The other ugly paused, "no, don't apologise. I scared you, I miss-judged the trajectory from the Presidential Tower, my bad." Aubrey took a moment to look at the other ugly. She was skinnier than most pretties, her legs long and toned. The Aubrey looked to her face, her nose, too, was slightly crooked, but aside from that, her eyes looked natural – she looked like the definition of perfect two millennia ago, a real movie star. "I'm also sorry about the hover cars and wardens, I crashed a major party." She looked at Aubrey as she sat up. "Were you here to see someone?"

Aubrey paused, "how did you know?"

"Your eyes, you ooze maturity." The brunette chuckled. "I'm Stacie, and you, mysterious blonde, are?"

"Aubrey."

Stacie nodded as she leaned against a rock. "I have friends too, over here. Well, they _were_ my friends, sometimes I spy on them, sometimes I like to show President P what's up." She adjusted her beanie. "I was always the youngest and now—"

"You're all alone."

Stacie nodded, "and you sound like you've done more than spy."

"Because we were friends…" Aubrey sighed, running her finger over the mark on her palm. "I thought it would be fine, you know. But I felt like a Littlie again, I felt stupid. I've been the brain in the group for years and tonight…"

"You found out that once the surgery is done you're a Nobody until _your_ surgery." Stacie shrugged. "Y'know, mysterious blonde Aubrey, we aren't free yet."

Aubrey scoffed, "well next time you crash President P's party you let me know ahead of time so I can plan accordingly."

Stacie stood up, pulling a small piece of metal from her backpack. "Where's your board?" Aubrey raised an eyebrow at her. "I would've thought you boarded across here, did you swim?"

Aubrey watched as a hover car made its way overhead. "We can't board back, follow me. I know a bridge."

Stacie paused in her journey. "It's gonna tattle."

Aubrey shook her head, "not this one, it's an old friend of mine."

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this.


End file.
